By T.Mdledle

1. A comparative study of the impact of e-learning on teaching and learning using the discussion forums By T.Mdledle

2. OVERVIEW Introduction Background Literature review Methodology Data analysis Findings Recommendations

3. INTRODUCTION • The study seeks to compare the performance of students who are currently registered for BTech Human Resources Management at Ibika site on application of theory to practical • The course that is used is Organisational Behaviour 4 • It allows learners to apply information learnt from other modules on real situations or given scenarios– hence the need for students to learn application.

4. INTRODUCTION CONT.......... • This calls for critical thinking skills as the learner has to apply theory to practical. • Critical thinking is a form of problem solving but, it allows reasoning to be open- ended. • The study analyses the progression in application as observed from postings of on line discussion problems, improvement/ non improvement in test marks, comments in class etc. of the participants as against the non-participants.

5. LITERATURE REVIEW • Horton (2006:132) states that case studies are good for teaching complex knowledge as well as reading judgment skills • Daniel Kurland (2000: 242) says that critical thinkers are open to new ideas and perspectives; they are willing to challenge their beliefs and investigate competing evidence whilst non- critical thinkers are not.

6. LITERATURE REVIEW • Advantages and disadvantages of widely used lecture methods • Cotton (1996:20) says”…….tell’em what you are going to tell ‘em, tell’em, then tell’em what you have told them.” • The lecture methods needs blending with some form of creativity – hence the need for discussion forums • Mahaye et al ‘s view- class discussion may sometimes be less effective classrooms with large numbers. Discussion forums using e learning are an answer to Mahaye’s problem.

7. LITERATURE REVIEW • Buckley (2011:402) states that interaction in on line learning programmes promotes student- centred learning, encourages wider student participation and more in depth reasoned discussions. • Gilbert & Dabbagh (2005:5) agree that guided facilitation on on –line discussions increases the cognitive quality of student postings, thus promoting a deeper and more meaningful understanding of the course content.

8. Below are further explanations of how discussion forums are created: • Create a forum • Enter the title/ name • Click on discussion board • Then the topic • Specifications • Then submit Figure 1.1Discussion board- Create a thread

9. Figure 1.2 Discussion Board - Responses Allows tor viewing of the number of responses created on the discussion board

10. Figure 1.3 Discussion Board - Participants Figure 1.3 Discussion Board - Participants Allows the facilitator to see the names of the participants as well as the number of postings per person.

11. Figure 1.4 Comments t This allows the facilitator to view the actual comments /responses made by each participant. From these comments one can be able to assess the quality of the discussions

12. METHODOLOGY • Both quantitative and qualitative approaches were used for purposes of comparison. • The population for the study is a group of students who are currently studying towards the qualification Btech in HRM • All 28 students were invited to undergo training on the use of WiSeUp- an e-learning programme at WSU • Eighteen students turned up for training but only 13 participated in the on line discussion forums using WiSeUp. • Fifteen students who did not participate in the on line discussion forums were used as a control group. • The assessment was done using observations in class performance, participation, responses to on line postings on the discussion forums and test scores against those of non-participants.

13. The following are the test scores of both participants and non –participants for three tests: Test 1 : The assessment was on mainly theory . Scores range from 40% to 81%. The overall performance reflects the student’s ability to master the course. Test 2: Most of the assessment questions required the student to apply theory to practical. More students scores are 50% and below- this shows lack of critical thinking skills. Test 3: The participants had started discussion groups. 6 students from 7 in the 31 – 40 range are from the 7 students in the 31-40 range are non participants

14. Figure 2 : Hours spent on learning using other methods • Little time is spent per week on all these resources. • For normal study groups the number of students that spend time on this method • has improved a little from the normal three (for other categories) to five. • Students spend more time studying together – an indication of students’ need to learn • from one another

15. Table 2 : Hours spent on WiSeUp . • More students spend 0 -5 hours per week on WiSeUp and discussion forums. • More students spend their time responding to threads on the discussion forum

16. Figure 3: Benefits from discussion forums • More students benefitted from : • Teamwork, • Learning from others, • Application • Computer skills

17. Figure 4 : Challenges in using discussion forums • Not enough access to internet came out as the main challenge , • Time consuming. • Only two of the participants stated that they did not learn from others.

18. Table 3 :How did the programme help you (Comments from students)

19. Figure 5: When should WiSeUp be introduced to learners - Recommendations from learners • Seven agreed that it WiSeUp should be introduced to the learner at 1st year level; • Five said at 3rd year level and • One said it should be introduced at second year level

20. FINDINGS From the data analysis above the following assumptions were made : • That students who did not participate in discussion forums did not perform well in the course , as the course needed critical thinking skills • That students learn from others, learn better on their own, and in their own time. • That whilst the objective of the discussion forums was learning application, better understanding of the course (amongst others) , participants’ computer literacy skills also improved.

21. FINDINGS CONT..... • That participating in discussion forums again improved the students ‘communication skills. Some students’ responses at the beginning were “yes. yes” but this later improved, they learnt to explain their perceptions. • That students, in order to be able to learn some critical thinking skills, they need to be exposed to perceptions of other students as well. • That mastering one skill builds up on another skill e.g. learning application builds up on better understanding of the course.

22. FINDINGS CONT....... • That learning is not automatic , a number of variables have to be considered e.g. the learner’ attitude, the learning content, the learning environment ,learners’ participation in the learning process, the learning resources & strategies used by the facilitator.

23. RECOMMENDATIONS • Students should be trained on WiSeUp at level 1 and implementation should be continued until completion • Lecturers should be trained on WiSeUp at various levels. Encourage or force implementation • Resources to implement e-learning should be in place, or make do until there are enough resources. • Centre for Learning and Teaching Department (CLTD) is the home for e-learning .Unless academics fully utilize their services, the goal of improving throughputs will not be achieved.

24. CONCLUSION Thank you. Any questions?